Thomas e



(No Model.) i

T.E.RED DY. Y KETTLE FOB. MAKING DROP SHOT.

No. 253.764. Patented Feb. 14,1882.

PATENT OFFICE,

UNITED STATES THOMAS E. REDDY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORTO HIMSELF AND JAMES MCKEEFERY, OF SAME PLACE.V

KETTLE FOR MAKING Duos-SH01'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,764, dated February 14, 1882.

Application nieu November 11,1881. (rio model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. REDDY, of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Kettles for Making Drop-Shot; andIdo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specication, in which-like letters indicating like parts- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improved, drop-kettle. Fig. 2 is a plan view, looking downward, parts of the inner pan and false bottom being broken away .and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the removable or false bottom.

My invention relates to certain improvements in drop-kettles for making drop-shot; and it consists in certain combinations of a kettle having a perforated bottom with a perforated disk, plate, or false bottom and aperforated inner basin, pan, or kettle, such parts being constructed and arranged as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

It has been customary. heretoforein making drop-shot to employa drop-kettle having a.

perforated bottom, such kettle being partially filled with some porous substance, as lead dross, through which the molten lead vpercolates or filters, and thus escapes through the perforations in the form of drops. Considerable diiiculty is experienced with such kettles, owing in part to uneven. or unequal flow of molten lead through the porous filling, thereby forming shot of many different grades. or sizes intermingled; also, such porous filter or p dross becomes more or less clogged or choked with impurities after short. use, thereby impeding the flow of lead andnecessitatiug frequent renewal, with loss of time, labor, and expense.

In order to avoid these and other like difficulties, I make use of a` drop-kettle apparatus constructed as follows:

A cast-iron kettle, A, similar in'general form to those in common use, is employed. This' kettle has a flat-bottom, a, in which are made any desired number of perforatlons, a', of size adapted to form a given grade of shot as now practiced in the art. These perforations are distributed uniformly over the surface of the bottom 5 and in order to secure such distribution with other advantages, as hereinafter described, I arrange them by preference in concentric circles at about equal distances apart both in circumferential and radial directions. Grooves s are also made in the inner face of bottom a, in the circles of and joining or leadving to the perforations a. These grooves form channels to facilitate the flow of lead. p

Within the kettle is a removable false bottom, B, which is perforated by preference in the same orderly arrangement as the kettlebottom a, but with smallerperforations, b. This false bottom B may be bound to the inner face of the kettle-bottom by bolts r, or equivalentv 'the apparatus for forming different grades of shot. When the rim b is placed downward it forms a shallow chamber between the ltwo bottoms, permitting a more rapid flow 0f lead and forming smaller shot. When the dat side ofthe false bottom is down, as shown in Fig. 1, the lead flows more slowly along the grooves s from rations, a', and on account of the comparatively slow movement of the lead and the dierence in size ofthe perforationslhe drops'areformed l its perforations b open into the grooves s be tween the perforatious a. This plate B may be used to advantage, however, without the the bolts r a little the lead will flow with the the small perforation's, b', to the larger perfov grooves s in the kettle-bottom, as by loosening I requisite freedom between the two fiat faces from perforations b' to a. This feature of binding the false bottom to bottom a more or less closely, in order to regulate the iow of lead as desired, I consider an important one; and in order to secure it other forms of adjustable fastening devices may be used instead of the bolts r.

It vwill be observed that when the plain side of plate or false bottom' B isdownward the adjacent surfaces of the two bottoms may be in contact. In this adjustment, the bottoms having surfaces such as are ordinarily secured in casting such articles, lead will find its way between them with sufcient freedom to form coarse shot. To stop all ow of lead by contact of such surfaces, they would have to be ground or otherwise made true and smooth. This is unnecessary, however, and I prefer to employ them with such form and finish as are secured in casting, so that the lead may nd its Way betweenV the bottoms, as stated. As the bolts r are loosened for making finer shot the bottoni B will be lioated or raised vertically by the lead so far as the bolts. may permit,

thus opening more space between bottoms to facilitate flow of lead.

Within the main kettle and above the false bottom B is a perforated pan Lor inner kettle, O, of any desired depth. Anyr desired number and arrangement of perforations `c' may be made in its bottom face adapted to permit a free flow of lead. The purpose of this pan is to gather the dross and other impurities and prevent them from clogging or interfering with the passages below and to this end I prefer to make the perforations c comparatively small and quite numerous, so that this pan may act as a strainer, permitting the flow of pure lead, but arresting impurities.

ThepanG may rest upon the heads of bolts i', and thus afford adistributing-space, n, between it and false bottom B. I prefer, however, to make a continuous rim, c, around the under side of the pan, adapted to rest vupon the rim b or upon the flat face of B, (whichever side of B may be uppermost,)and thus prevent in a great measurefthe flow of lead between the peripherie's" `f B and C and the sides of the kettle.

If desired, the` heads of bolts' r may be sunk in plate or bottom B, thus affording clear space 1betveen such bottom and the pan for ow of Instead of arranging the perforations in concentric circles, as shown, other forms of arrangement may be employed, as spiral or in straight lines. y

If the grooves s be omitted, the lines of perforations in B may alternate radially with the lines in a or other desired order, and arrangement may be employed such as will aford a uniform and equal flow to all the perforations a in\the kettle-bottom.

Instead of strainer-pan C, other forms. of

\ positions, as above straining devices may be employed, or such strainer may be omitted entirely and still se cure much better results than with drop-kettles heretofore in use. I prefer to employ it or its equivalent, however, as material advantages are secured thereby.

By arranging the false bottom B indifferent described, two or more different grades of shot may be made with one kettle. In order, however, to make all the lvarious grades or sizes of shot common in the trade, a number of kettles Awill be employed having properly graduated perforations in their bottoms. One removable false bottom B may be used lwith the whole or any desired part of such set of kettles, or separate-false bottoms may be provided for each kettle.

By means of this improved apparatus the peculiar difficulties which have heretofore attended the making of drop-shot are practically removed, and such work maybe performed by comparatively unskilled labor.- This is due largely to the uniform and ready flow of lead which is secured by the false bottom.

Shot can be formed with this device much more rapidly than heretofore, The product secured in any one adjustment isfar more uniform in grade and less labor, skill, and expense are involved in securing such product.

I am aware of a certain construction of shotkettles having perforated bottoms with an intervening agitating device, as shown and described in English Patent No. 746 of 1856; and I hereby disclaim such construction as not embodyingmyinventon. Suchkettlesnotonly require constant attention to operate the movable parts properly, but also the shot formed thereby will necessarily vary widely in size. In my invention the relationship of parts once determined for a given grade-of work is prac tically constant. No movement of parts is required ibperation, and the lead flows evenly and Without interruption from the perforations in one bottom to those in the other.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. Adrop-shot kettle having two perforated bottoms, arranged face to face, without any interposeddevice to interrupt or regulate the flow of molten 'lead from the perforations in one to and through the perforations in the other, substantially as set forth.

IIO

2. The combination of the kettle having a perforated bottom, a perforated vertically movable false bottom, and means for adjusting and holding'such false bottom at different heights from the kettle-bottom, substantially as set forth.

3. A drop-kettle for making drop-shot, having a perforated bottom with grooves in its inner face leading to the perforatins, in 'combination with a false bottom having perforations therein smaller in size than the perforations in the kettle-bottom, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. A drop-kettlchaving va perforated bottom,

253,764 y j a in combination with a perforated false bottom, bottom to the,..kettlebottom, substantially as ro vB, and an inner perforated kettle or pan, C, set forth.

substantially as set forth.' vIn testimony whereof I have hereunto set 5. `A drop-shot kettle h aviug a perforated my hand. .v 5 bottom, 1n comblnatlon with perforated false` y l THOMAS E' REDDY.

bottom B, having one plain face and a projet:`

tion, b, on its other face, a perforated inner Witnesses:

kettle or pan, G, having a projection, e, on its R. H. WHITTLESEY, under face,`and means for binding the false C. L. PARKER. 

